According to Irish tradition, those who kiss the Blarney Stone will be blessed with the gift of eloquence - aka "the gift of gab". The Blarney Stone is set in the wall of Blarney Castle, located in Blarney, a small village in southern Ireland. Visitors must climb over 100 stairs and wait in line to see the Blarney stone. To kiss the stone, they must lie on their backs, lean back and downward, while holding onto a pair of iron rails for support. This may sound like a lot of blarney, but the historic castle and legendary stone draws over 200,000 tourists a year!

May your troubles be less and your blessings be more And nothing but happiness come through your door.

For Your Irish Kitchen ...

The Country Cooking of IrelandThis cookbook, by internationally acclaimed food and travel writer Colman Andrews brings to life the people, countryside, and delicious food of Ireland. It includes 250 recipes and more than 100 photographs of the pubs, the people, and the Irish countryside. It features stories of the food and people who make Ireland a wonderful place to eat, and is laced with snippets of Irish song, folklore, and poetry.